Regions
South Coast Inland.
Don't let your guard down with the sunny weather and fresh snow. Take a cautious approach towards more aggressive terrain - especially steep, wind-affected terrain.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
We'll have fine weather for the foreseeable future. Significant warming begins Wednesday afternoon.Wednesday: Sunny and warm. Light northerly winds. Freezing levels 3000m. Alpine high temperatures to +2 Celsius.Thursday: Sunny and warm. Freezing levels around 3100 m. Light northwesterly winds. Alpine high temperatures to +3 Celsius. Friday: Sunny and warm. Freezing levels around 3200 m. Light northerly winds.
Avalanche Summary
Little activity has been reported lately, although there are not many observers out there right now. In southern sections (Coquihalla), lingering small wind slabs are the primary concern. In the north of the region (Duffey Lake zone), small (Size 1), dry loose avalanches have been reported in steep terrain at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 30-50 cm of snow from last week sits on top of a rain crust that formed during the wet weather in late November. The crust is reported to be thick (15 cm) below treeline and thin (2 cm) in the alpine. Southerly winds have blown snow around in exposed areas creating drifts and scoured areas. Stubborn wind slabs have formed near ridge crests and lee features, primarily in the south of the region (Coquihalla area). Tree line snow depths are approximately 110 cm throughout the region.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.